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Looking beyond Ontario

Hard hats and construction boots will be the principal attire for next year’s OHBA convention.

James Bazely, head of Gregor Homes and outgoing OHBA president, wants to take the 2011 annual conference to the Dominican Republic and build a school or community centre during the meeting.
(SUPPLIED PHOTO)

But hard hats and construction boots will be the principal attire for next year’s convention, said outgoing president James Bazely. He wants 250 home builders to build a school, church or a community centre in Puerto Plata when the OHBA meets in the Dominican Republic in November 2011, the first time its has met out of Ontario in its 48 year history.

Bazely, president of Gregor Homes in Barrie, said his campaign to move the convention to the Dominican Republic and get the home builders involved in a humanitarian build project was inspired by his 22-year-old daughter Melissa, who has been involved in humanitarian work in Haiti and the Dominican Republic through Hero Holidays, a student program run by Absolute Leadership Development.

He told the home builders it would likely cost them no more to attend a convention in Dominican Republic that it did to attend this year’s convention at Caesars Casino in Windsor.

In a later interview with the Toronto Star, Bazely said it’s unlikely the home builders will build homes in Puerto Plata. “If we build homes the work sites will be spread out at different locations. We want a project where everybody will work together and we can erect a structure like a school or a community centre or something that puts us all together on one site. We’ll finish the project in one week.”

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The OHBA is composed of 4,200 Ontario companies involved in the home building industry. Bazely expects about 25 constructors from each of the 29 community locals to be involved in the building project.

He said Ontario’s $35 billion new home industry, plus home renovations, employs about 334,000 people and sponsors a variety of charity home building programs by volunteers in Ontario.

Bob Finnigan, an executive with Heathwood Homes in Toronto, was elected the new president of OHBA at the Windsor convention.

Brookfield Homes was named 2010 Home Builder of the Year at the OHBA annual builder awards. Brookfield is a subsidiary of publicly traded Brookfield Properties, one of Canada’s largest development firms and office building landlords. Brookfield has built more than 20,000 homes in Ontario over the past 50 years.

A survey of Brookfield home buyers is part of the judging criteria.

Minto Group, which builds residential properties in Toronto, Ottawa and Southern Florida, was named Green Builder of the Year. Judging for this award was conducted by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp., Tarion Home Warranty, Home Owner Protection Centre and the Ministry of Consumer Affairs and Housing.

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